Whatever happened to due process, which I thought was a fundamental principle in our (so-called) democracy? Does “innocent until proven guilty” only apply within our borders, or is it a universal value demanded of any civilized society?
Accusations have been flying with increasing frequency that Russia is behind every nefarious activity in the universe, from chemical warfare in Syria, to nerve agent poisonings of a Russian double agent in Britain, to meddling in our (so-called) democracy by sowing division. As if Roger Ailes hadn’t already perfected that technique years ago.
And yet, I still have seen not one shred of evidence for any of the aforementioned accusations. All we have regarding Russian meddling is the “assessments” of our spymasters in the FBI, CIA and NSA. The definition of an “assessment” is a “best guess.” That is all it is. Nothing more. No evidence, no proof.
And if you trust anything John Brennan says, please keep in mind that this top spy is a defender of torture, the architect of America’s drone program, and a talented liar. https://www.thenation.com/article/russophobia-in-the-new-cold-war/.
Clapper is also a proven liar: https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/06/fire_dni_james_clapper_he_lied_to_congress_about_nsa_surveillance.html Not to mention a Russophobe who with a straight face said that Russians “typically, are almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor.” Yikes!
As for the alleged nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, that accusation was dodgy from the outset. Theresa May pointed the finger at Putin before she even knew what the poison was, or how it was administered. The story of the drug’s delivery method has changed at least half a dozen times, from Skripal’s car venting system or door handle, to his home’s front doorknob, to cereal brought from Russia by his daughter Yulia.
Boris Johnson told told the world that the U.K.’s Porton Down laboratory had found evidence that definitely implicated the Russians…except that it didn’t: “Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the aforementioned Porton Down Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, has told Sky News in a scandalous new report that while his laboratory has been able to learn the chemical composition of the nerve agent used to poison the Skripals, none of the work they have done has succeeded in identifying its source.” https://www.opednews.com/articles/More-Evidence-That-The-UK-by-Caitlin-Johnstone-Crime_Daughter_Evidence_Poison-180408-975.html
Finally, we have the latest Neocon effort to promote regime change in Syria with yet another likely false flag chemical attack carried out by CIA-backed “rebels” who are now on the losing end of the conflict. Anybody think it’s fishy that this attack happened just days after Trump said he wanted to get out of Syria? https://www.rt.com/op-ed/421515-ghouta-syria-chemical-weapons/
The common thread here is flimsy evidence, unproven allegations, rush to judgment, and presumption of guilt stemming from Neocon wet dreams of U.S. hegemony.
We’ve seen this movie before, when Bush Jr. listened to Darth Cheney and whacked the hornet’s nest in Iraq. That unleashed the hell that the Middle East has become, spawning refugee influxes to Europe and paving the way for right-wing populist backlashes in places like Hungary.
Let’s fight like hell to prevent this from happening again. Demand proof of how, why and with what the Skripals were poisoned by the Russians; ask exactly how the Russians altered the outcome of elections with their alleged meddling, and don’t believe anything the U.K.-funded CIA-backed Syrian rebels and White Helmets tell you in their effort to topple Assad.
And for heaven’s sake, turn off Rachel Madcow.
